March 15, 2006 --
Rocky was a delightful 4-month old Westie puppy received into rescue in mid-March. Rocky was the first-born of a very large Westie litter of seven puppies. He was purchased along with a littermate named Barny. Barny was the last-born, and was smaller and a bit frail. The owner hadn't originally planned on buying two puppies, but took pity on the wails from one of them when he was walking away with the other. He decided to take them both.
Both dogs were fundamentally healthy, but Barny required a little special care initially as he was so frail. It began to be apparent to the owner that two active puppies were more than he wanted to cope with. While they played together some, they competed with one another for attention. The owner decided to release Rocky to Westie Rescue so we could find him a good home, and they kept Barny.
Rocky went into foster care with three other Westies so he didn't have too
much time to pine for his younger brother. He loved playing with his foster
brothers, and was quick to learn his "puppy manners". He adapted well
to his new environment, and made big strides to finalizing housebreaking. The
search began for his "forever" home.
We had a couple that had recently lost a rescue Westie, Kate, which we placed with them. Kate was released to us by the family of a 91-year-old woman with Alzheimer's that was going into a retirement home. Kate was in poor health from lack of food and care; but we were able to place her quickly. She had to have three teeth removed immediately by her new family due to decay. After surgery she went into a decline. Originally thought to be grieving for her master, her new family spent many hours trying to find a solution to her unhappiness. About that time, Westie Rescue was also fostering a Westie that had been displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The Katrina dog, Diamond, was left with a local animal control by the owners after evacuation. Animal control held Diamond for 8 weeks waiting for her family to come and reclaim her, but they were never heard from again. Diamond was put into foster care.
Shortly after this Westie Rescue had its annual Christmas party. Kate's family asked if they could baby-sit Diamond while her foster Mom was at the party. As soon as Diamond arrived at their home she went to Kate and made it clear she wanted to play! This got Kate up and moving around for the first time in quite a while, and Kate and Diamond played all afternoon. When Diamond's foster mom went to pick her up after the party, Kate's family said Kate needed Diamond, and they had become fast friends. On December 7th Diamond went to live with Kate and her family permanently.
All was well until February, when Kate began to decline again. She was taken to the vet and x-rays revealed she had an invasive, fast growing cancer for which there was no treatment. The vet suggested, and the owners agreed, she needed to be humanely euthanized to avoid any further pain. While heartbroken they couldn't save her, her family was happy that they had been able to love and treasure her for her last months of her life. The family called Westie Rescue to inform them of her passing and to get back on the list for another Westie for them and Diamond. They were told about Rocky, but were a bit hesitant at first about such a young puppy. While Diamond would love the company of an active youngster, they weren't sure they were ready for it! They came over to meet Rocky, and it was a match! Rocky went home to live with them and Diamond that night.
Diamond (now named Abby), and Rocky (now named Max), have become fast friends. Because they are both young, they love to play together and continue to bond more closely each day. Max has allowed Abby and her family to work past their grief at losing Kate, and experience the joy of having a new puppy in their lives.